Teacher Education Program

Experience the profession by teaching in K-12 school classrooms throughout the program.

Develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required of an effective teacher.

Grow into an educator who cares for the success of all students, continues to learn throughout their career, and serves as a leader in the profession.

Exhibit evidence of teaching effectiveness in a digital portfolio showing achievement in both on-campus courses and off-campus field experiences.

At DSU, become the cutting-edge teacher whom students deserve!

Dickinson State University’s Teacher Education Program is a cutting-edge educator preparation experience that empowers candidates to become highly effective teachers. On day one of their first teaching jobs, our graduates are able to help their students learn. In fact, the success of K-12 school students is the top priority of our Teacher Education Program and of the teachers who graduate from it.  Our university’s main campus is in Dickinson, a city known as The Western Edge for its location in southwestern North Dakota. Since its inception as a normal school in 1918, Dickinson State University has been on the cutting edge in the field of educator preparation. Our Teacher Education Program gives graduates the edge they need to succeed in the profession.

Our Teacher Education Program offers undergraduate and graduate courses that challenge and support education majors to become cutting-edge teachers. We do that by promoting experiential learning in field experiences offered with all education courses. We practice performance-based assessment, providing feedback while observing our education majors as they teach in local schools.  Faculty members engage in the scholarship of teaching and learning, researching and utilizing effective practices in training teachers and in teaching K-12 school students. Faculty model professionalism, working together in a community of practice, committed to collaborating with one another and with partners in local schools.  Finally, our Teacher Education Program engages in continuous improvement, using multiple sources of data to make changes that will advance our program and prepare our graduates to meet the needs of their students in an ever-changing world. In so doing, we ensure that Dickinson State University remains on the cutting edge of educator preparation, offering elementary and secondary school students the highly effective teachers whom they deserve.

All candidates in the Teacher Education program prepare a professional education portfolio under the framework of the 10 InTASC standards. The purpose of the portfolio is for you to link your products and performances to the program outcomes. You select artifacts from your courses and field experiences that demonstrate your proficiency in each of the program outcomes.

A key element of the portfolio is your rationale for artifact selection. Faculty seek to determine how well you understand your educational decision-making as it relates to current research and best practices. A formal portfolio review will take place as part of your application for student teaching. You will have self-selected artifacts to demonstrate your proficiency in each of the program outcomes and will have created accompanying rationales that link the artifacts to your understanding of the related InTASC standards.

Your Portfolio Review will take place during EDUC 350—Portfolio Preparation. You will present your portfolio to your professor and a group of your peers during this course. This oral presentation will be evaluated using the Portfolio Review Rubric.

During the portfolio review, the faculty evaluation will determine your readiness for student teaching and will, at that time, either recommend or deny your application to student teach. If you receive more than three (3) scores at the “below basic” level, you will under no circumstance be permitted to student teach. You are strongly encouraged to take the Portfolio Preparation course the semester you apply for student teaching.

Additionally, you must submit your portfolio into the Anthology system when you apply for student teaching.  Please verify with your EDUC 350 professor that your work was submitted correctly.

Final Portfolio Review

After you complete your student teaching experience, you will once again give an oral presentation on your development of each of the InTASC standards. The presentation will again include your self-selected artifacts as evidence of your proficiency in each of the program outcomes, as well as your verbal articulation of the links between your artifacts and your understanding of each of the standards.

The state of North Dakota requires passing scores on a series of three ETS Praxis exams. The first exam (Core Academic Skills for Educators) has three components: Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. You will complete this exam prior to admission into the Teacher Education program.

You will also take Praxis II content exams in your subject area (e.g. English, Social Studies, P.E.) and Praxis II pedagogy exams in your licensure level (e.g. elementary, secondary). For information about specific exam codes, required scores for passing, and registration information, visit the following ETS website: North Dakota RequiredTest (ets.org). Online registration closes when the testing date is within four days (excluding the testing date).

To graduate from the Teacher Education program, candidates must attempt both the Praxis II: content area and pedagogy tests before the student teaching semester.  To receive your North Dakota teaching license, candidates must pass both the Praxis II: content area and pedagogy tests.

Testing Locations

You may opt to test at home, Bismarck Prometric testing center or Bismarck State College.

About Student Teaching

This capstone experience provides you the opportunity to apply all you’ve learned throughout the Teacher Education program. Under supervision of your cooperating teacher, you assume full responsibility of the classroom you are assigned—including planning, classroom management, instruction, assessment, and reflection.

During the student teaching experience, you are assigned to at least one cooperating teacher in your licensure area where you can serve as an apprentice—practicing the art and craft of teaching by working with actual students and performing teacher-related duties. A university supervisor works with you and the cooperating teacher to promote development and ensure that you meet the School of Education’s expectations as described in the Student Teaching Handbook. The cooperating teacher and university supervisor serve as both mentors and evaluators, completing formative and summative assessments of your achievement/areas for improvement. The bulk of this course occurs at the site of student teaching field experience; however, you will also return to campus for periodic seminars. The Director of Field Experiences will notify you of the exact schedule for the seminar sessions.

Application Deadlines

• Spring Student Teachers: Application due October 1
• Fall Student Teachers: Applications due February 1

Student Teaching Documents

Click here to view student teaching documents.

Teaching is a career in which attributes of character, integrity, and other professional dispositions are as relevant as knowledge and skills. For that reason, the DSU Teacher Education program has created the Professional and Ethical Conduct Policy. You agree to abide by this policy upon admission to the program.

Your dispositions associated with the ten InTASC standards are evaluated as part of the Teacher Education assessment system. Additionally, potentially negative dispositions are noted by faculty and addressed with you via the Disposition Alert Form. The purpose of this form is to (1) identify areas of concern; (2) outline expectations for adequate progress; and/or (3) serve as documentation for your dismissal from the program due to unacceptable dispositional attributes.